Physically and Mentally Exhausted
by SerialStoryLover
Summary: Post Ep The Blackout Part 2. Can Will and Mac put the last few days behind them and move forward again? A Will/Mackenzie fanfic. All characters belong to Mr. Sorkin and HBO. I just like playing with them, but I promise to put them back when I'm done.
1. Chapter 1

Will/Mackenzie. (post-episode) Set after Blackout Part II.

_Hello all! This is my FIRST FANFIC. I'm ever so slightly terrified to find out what you think, but the lack of will/mac fanfic out there has made me swallow my fears and write this._

_Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, all belong to the mighty Mr Sorkin, who is a genius. _

_I have not yet seen episodes 8 or 9 because I live in the UK and we are 3 weeks behind the States, so everything here goes off one clip that I have seen on YouTube, and then my own imagination. _

_Not sure I actually like it, but I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think!_

* * *

The ACN jingle rung through her ears, as the dumbness started to spread through her limbs. Mackenzie knew they would pay for this in ratings and in Leona's displeasure, but at that particular moment she did not care. Will had said Charlie told him she was "Physically and mentally exhausted"; well right now she felt it. All she wanted was to go home and have a long hot bath before curling up under the covers and going to sleep. It was shame that she was the boss. That wasn't going to happen.

"Well done, everyone." She forced herself to say as she turned, smiling, to her crew. They all looked pleased with themselves, and everyone exchanged handshakes, and claps on the back.

She was proud of the team that she and Will had cultivated this past year. It couldn't have worked out better: she had grown a team who were invested in the idealistic version of a news broadcast that she had pitched them, and this week had proved that they were loyal to it. Even Don!

Wearily she gathered her notebook and headed back to her office.

The end-of-the-day feeling seemed to have kicked in, as her staff joked and made plans to go to the karaoke bar and have their well-deserved drink.

"Mac!" She spun towards Charlie's voice and saw him walking, beaming towards her. She couldn't help but return the smile as he warmly embraced her and then held her at arm's length. "Great show tonight kiddo. You did us proud."

"Us, maybe. I guess we'll have to wait and see what Leona thought, although I have some ideas already." Charlie waved his hand, a frown crossing his features.

"We'll deal with her when we deal with her. For now, we're all going for a drink. And you're coming too!"

"Charlie –"

"I'll hear no excuses. We're all tired but we'll be tired as a team, so come and enjoy your vodka, or gin or – well, whatever it is that you young people drink these days. I'll be having a -"

"Scotch." Mack finished for him, smiling ruefully. Charlie's attitude was infectious. Yes, she was tired, but this was her family and he was right. They deserved a break. Even if it was only for a couple of hours until they had to do it all again tomorrow.

It was as though the older man could read her thoughts. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and she looked up to meet his gaze. "Hey, you did good kid."

"It was Will, actually." She informed him, "Will was the one who threw out the rundown. Managed to do it all by himself."

"As long as he knows you're watching him, he's doing nothing by himself." Charlie had a twinkle in his eye that she had seen there before. She opened her mouth to respond but froze when she heard familiar footsteps from behind. Charlie winked at her.

"I was just saying to Mackenzie, good show tonight Will."

"yes it was." Will replied, shaking his boss hand. He put a hand on Mac's shoulder. "Could I have a word?"

Mac looked questioningly at him, "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"In my office?" He nodded to Charlie and turned to head back to his office. With an apologetic look to Charlie she turned to follow him.

"We'll see you downstairs."

"I'd better!" Charlie called after her.

Enjoying the luxury of twenty seconds where she didn't have to think Mac made her way to Will's office on auto-pilot.

He was coming out of his bathroom in jeans and pulling a sweater over his polo shirt. He smiled. She cautiously returned it, all of a sudden aware that she had no idea what he was wanting to talk about. There was an awkward silence as he sat on the edge of his desk, twisting his hands in his lap.

"Mac, look. I – I want to apologise."

Brian. She had forgotten he was even here in the rush of being back to Newsroom 174.0. The pleasant feeling that had been growing tentatively inside her since her conversation with Charlie instantly turned once more to acid in her stomach. The guilt had returned.

As much as she felt she owed Will, and would spend as long as she had to making it up to him, she had to admit to herself that this one had really got to her. It was a punch to the gut, low and hard. And though she felt she deserved it, she was angry at Will for taking the past months of cooperation and – dare she say – friendship and chucking it out the window by inviting Brian here. She'd been so sure that they'd been making progress, and then all of a sudden he pulls this stunt and she falls flat on her face. If he hadn't felt they'd moved forward too, then why had he acted like it? She felt confused. Very confused.

"For what?" She replied in a controlled voice, trying not to let these emotions come through. Will didn't buy it. He tilted his head, and sighed exasperatedly.

"you know what."

"Oh, you mean Brian?" It came out slightly tetchy. She couldn't help herself.

"Yes, of course I mean Brian." Will shot back. They stared at each other for a moment, a tension which had never existed until 14 months ago once more filling the room. Will broke it first, looking down at his hands, "It was a low move, and I shouldn't have done it. You don't deserve it."

She was taken aback. And if anything, was more confused. "I'm not so certain about that, but you said why you did it earlier. When you were having difficulty with your pants."

A smile crept onto Will's face as he met her gaze once more. She was looking calmly back at him. Why was she making him feel better, when she was annoyed at him? She didn't know. Habit, maybe. Making him feel better was instinctual.

"I brought him here to hurt you, even though I know you don't deserve it." He continued, sobering up. "You have taken everything I've thrown at you. You've been remorseful, apologetic, loyal, and the best partner in this show I could wish for. So I shouldn't have done it."

Mac's throat was suddenly very dry, stuck together; she couldn't speak to respond if she tried. She was simply gazing at him like there was a length of string holding her eyes to his. Was this going somewhere, or was it just an apology?

Suddenly her words to Brian floated across her mind,

"_Did he come back?"_

"_Not yet."_

She hadn't even realised what she had been saying. Didn't even process what it meant. That she did want to repair what she'd done. She wanted to be with him again. It was something she hadn't admitted to herself until today. She didn't want to. Because if it didn't happen, she knew it would be painful for her. Losing him once (by her own fault) had been bad enough, but allowing herself to hope, and then losing him again would be…well, not worth thinking about. So she didn't. She cleared her throat and forced a small smile onto her face.

"Thank you. I appreciate that." The smile returned briefly to his face. "It was a good show tonight. You going to join us for a drink?"

"Yes." He replied after a moment, nodding to himself as he made his decision. It was a Will-ism and it made Mac's smile widen. She wanted to this to work out because now that she could be around him, and enjoy his little "moments" again, she really did not want to give it up. She knew she would do anything to make sure that News Night continued.

"Okay." She nodded, "We're leaving in five."

"I'll grab my stuff."

"Okay."

And with that she pushed the door open behind her and headed back into the newsroom. The group was gathered around Neal's desk laughing heartily at a story Charlie was telling them. She wasn't fast enough to avoid being spotted, however. Jim caught sight of her as she made her way across the room, drawing everyone else's attention to her as well.

"We ready to go boss? Drinks downstairs are ordered!" A few 'woops' went up at this and she smiled back.

"Just grabbing my bag. You guys can start to head down if you like, we'll meet you there."

The moved off like a herd to a watering hole she thought, amused, as her staff made for the elevators.

* * *

I'd appreciate any feedback! Hope you enjoyed

I've started a chapter 2 if anyone wants me to continue. Actually, I may just post it regardless simply because there is not enough fic out there about these two!


	2. Chapter 2

**_So. Unintentionally this has turned into a Mac's-POV-story. Not sure how or why that happened, but oh well. We love Mac!_**

**_I had also intended for them to drink and then have this out, but my fingers and the keyboard decided differently and so it was thus. It hasn't turned out how I planned at all, but hey ho. Hope you enjoy! (P.S. There's a wee swear word in here too)_**

* * *

After shutting her email down and locking her desk drawer Mackenzie gave herself a few moments to brace herself and push away the morsels of sleepiness that were beginning to pull at her eyelids. Just a couple of hours of having a good time with friends...yes. She could do this.

She folded her jacket over her arm and grabbed her purse, once more heading across the now strangely peaceful newsroom. Cleaners were starting to hoover, the lights were dimmed and the TV screens above the studio blissfully black. It was almost therapeutic to know that the work place could be this calm.

As she rounded the corner to the elevators, however, her peaceful mood was once more put on hold by the sight of Will McAvoy. He was standing at the buttons and had obviously not heard her coming.

"Hey," she said walking up to stand beside him.

"Hey, I thought you had already gone?"

"I had to send an email before I left. "

The elevator pinged as the doors fell open. Stepping in, Mac couldn't help but remember the last time they had been here, over a year ago now. Should she have told him that it had indeed been her whom he had seen at North Western? How would he react? At the time it hadn't felt like they were "there" yet. It had felt too soon to tell him. Too soon for what, she wasn't entirely certain. A week ago, for instance, would have felt like a good time. But now, with the cloud of Brian still lurking overhead threatening rain, she once more felt like she could not tell him.

"You know we've gone to this karaoke bar at least three times a week for the last year or more, and not once has anyone gotten up to sing." Will said inadvertently jerking her abruptly from her ponderings as the lift doors opened once more to reveal the ground floor lobby. As his words registered, Mac smiled.

"Is that an offer?" he shot her an amused look.

"You're the boss. Lead by example?"

"Well, as you so often remind me, you have the last say, so I think that means you should take the lead."

"It's so obvious that you are trying to avoid calling me "the boss"." He smirked.

"Not true! I _know_ I'm the boss. Don Quixote, remember?"

"Charlie says that _he_ is Don Quixote, you're Dulcinea and I'm Sancho." Mac laughed, causing Will to smile.

"Well, we can't let him think _he's_ the boss."

"Even if it's in his job title?"

"_Especially_ if it's in his job title!"

They both laughed, relaxing into each other's company. It was a lovely moment, Mac thought, with a hint of sadness. How long would these moments go on for – she hope there would be loads of them, like there had been before she had…well, before. She decided she would just enjoy them, since she wasn't sure she deserved them.

"Took you two long enough, I was about to come up there and check you hadn't dozed off."

Lonny was leaning on the reception desk, giving them both a quick glance over, a strange, curious glint in his eye. It was probably in his training: to make sure that Will was okay before they set out of the building. Sure, that totally made sense. He wouldn't be checking them – no, him – out for any other reason.

"I'd forgotten you'd be hanging around waiting." Will said, brushing easily past Lonny on his way to the exit. Mac shot Lonny a rueful smile at Will's teasing and fell into step with him as they followed Will out of the building.

"Is he still causing you trouble these days?" She asked loudly, smirking at Will's back.

"What do you mean 'still'? When have I ever caused trouble?" Will challenged nonchalantly, immediately turning to walk backwards and face them. Lonny and Mac exchanged another grin and then looked back to their subject.

"Well," Mac began, with the air of one about to reel off a grocery list.

"There was the complete lack of cooperation you showed the first few days." Lonny said, to Mac more than to Will.

"There was the time that he wanted to go to Walgreens to get paracetemol but didn't tell you."

"And there was the time when he came down drunk in the elevator at three in the morning claiming he couldn't find his bathroom."

Mac burst out laughing, looking gleefully at Will as he stared daggers at Lonny.

"There was the time that he jumped out of the car and made you chase him half way down Manhattan, BAKED!"

"He was baked? How did I not know this?"

"Oh yeah, he had the mental capacity of a frying pan!"

"Hey! That night I did one of the best news broadcasts we've ever –"

"You couldn't even tie your tie! Which you've managed to do perfectly well for the last four decades!"

"And then there was the time that he decided to go jogging really early in the morning somehow – don't ask me – get lost on 57th street!"

Mac doubled up in laughter once more, before choking and asking "When did _you_ start going jogging?"

Will rolled his eyes and tutted at them before turning and walking on as his two friends chortled after him. They had soon caught up with him though, and took a place either side of him. A sudden brisk breeze travelled up the long Manhattan corridors from the Hudson despite the warm summer's evening and without realising it Will and Mackenzie shuffled closer together.

She had missed being able to laugh with him, spend time with him; and although reminiscing had always been tainted with a pang of guilt, during those darker hours in Afghanistan, she had had something happy to think of.

Lost once more in memories, she suddenly realised that Will was no longer by her side. Confused, she turned back to see him standing at the corner of the street looking troubled. Frowning, she walked back to him cautiously.

"Will? Are you okay?"

"I –" He looked down the street where the lights and tall buildings of the Manhattan met the thin strip of navy blue that was the Hudson, "Can I just be straight with you for a moment? Lonny, would you mind walking ahead for a little bit?"

Slightly alarmed now, Mackenzie twisted her heel on the ground, trying to decide whether this sounded like something she wanted to hear. Mac missed the worried, warning look that Lonny shot Will before he shook his head and started walking as far as he dared away from them.

"Please tell me you're not high again?" She was looking deadly serious, worried even, and for a moment Will just stared at her. Until he burst into laughter. Feeling stupid, she allowed a small, confused smile to curl at her lips whilst she waited for Will to recover himself and explain to her what the hell he was on about.

Bringing himself up to meet her gaze again, and getting his giggle fit under control, he looked at her with soft eyes. "No." He said, smiling.

Shaking his head, his gaze turned once more to the Hudson as he cleared his throat. "No, I meant be straight with you about what I was saying up in the office."

The smile had gone from his face now, replaced by what Mackenzie could only describe as uncertainty. He wasn't sure about what he was saying, or whether he should say it.

"There's more?" She was torn between curiosity and confusion. What else could there be? Suddenly she felt guilty again. Will didn't owe her anything, and she didn't want to spoil the evening by having him get angry over her…whatever she had done this time. "Seriously Will, you don't have to explain anything to me. I owe you, remember? Let's just leave it; you don't have to do this."

He looked at her sharply. "Yes Mac, I do. Because I have to make something clear; to you or to me, I don't know, but I need to say it."

She stood patiently, frowning, concerned. Slightly frightened at what was going to happen. Those moments that she had wanted to enjoy while she could seemed to be slipping from her grasp and she did not even know why or where to. What was this? Why was Will looking so guilty? _She_ was the one who had cheated on him and cut his heart open.

"You already apologised for Brian." She said quietly, trying to coax whatever was bothering him out.

"I know." Will nodded. "This isn't about that. I've been seeing Dr. Habib."

What the hell?

"I've been seeing him and – and your name has come up." Oh. This could go one of two ways and she was terrified it was going to go a bad way. "A lot."

She was now determined to remain silent and not to interrupt out of a fear that she would push things down a road from which there may be no return for them. If Will was trying to sort out his troubles then maybe, just maybe, there was hope. And she was not going to do anything that might ruin it.

"I told him about Brian, and I told him about – well, about some other stuff – and he says that the trick is not to just move on, but to forgive you. And I know that. I _know_ that Mac, I've known that the whole time." His eyes blazed into hers, and she felt as though he was magnetically holding her to the spot. Even her breathing had stopped. "I _know_ you deserve it. As I said, you have been apologetic, remorseful, supportive, encouraging – just amazing. You've been amazing Mackenzie, and I _know_ that I should forgive you."

Hope was soaring inside her. She was doing her utmost to pretend that this wasn't exactly what she had been secretly, in the darkes,t most hidden part of her, been wanting to hear. She was trying not to smile, or cry, or however it was she wanted to react right now. She nearly missed the tear that was building in his right eye. Nearly. When she saw it her heart went from a million beats a minute to nil.

"So…I asked him why I couldn't," If you ever been on a rollercoaster going down a large drop, you'll know exactly the plummeting feeling in Mackenzie McHale's body at that moment. "He said it was because you didn't reject me…you betrayed me. And because of everything with my father, that's what I can't get past."

The busiest city in the world stopped. Or at least it did for Mackenzie McHale.

Hollow. That was a good word. Empty. Another good one. No, wait. They mean the same thing.

Her brain was working sluggishly slow. She knew that all the strength she had been using to keep her face void of emotion had been knocked out of her, and that Will would be able to read the utter devastation now displayed on her face with no trouble at all. Before she knew it, her cheeks were wet.

She wiped it angrily from her face, sniffing and glancing upwards to try and compose herself before meeting his gaze again. "You remember when you said that you'd rather I hadn't told you?"

From the way Will was looking at her, she could tell he knew that what he was saying to her was the verbal equivalent of a series of karate chops. She could tell that there was something he still had to say, but in that moment she felt so angry at herself, she knew she just wanted to be alone; to get indoors, away from prying eyes and pitied glances.

"Mac…" He began softly, beginning to walk towards her. But she held up a hand.

"No, Will. If you want to do this properly you're going to have to give me more warning. And maybe not do it in the middle of a public street!"

"You're leaving?"

"Are you kidding? Look, this is the wrong time, and the wrong place. I know you need to get this out, but – I don't know, you have really _shit_ timing sometimes. You need to go in there and support our team – I'm clearly not in a state to do it."

With that she knocked on the window of a free cab that was stopped at the lights and jumped in. A hand stopped her from closing the door.

"Please, Mac. I need to explain this."

Disbelieving at his complete lack of understanding regarding the awful moment he had chosen, Mac tried to be patient.

"I know you do –"

"You don't –"

"William! One of us needs to go in there and be with the team, so we can do this later, okay? Now go!" He looked at her helplessly, as she pulled the door firmly shut, and told the taxi driver to drive.

* * *

**_So. We have two options. We can either have a Will chapter/added-Will bit of the next chapter, where we see him go into the bar, hang with the others – just for Charlie's disapproval I feel this might be fun (like an added extra) – and then head over to find Mac ('cause she's dreaming if she thinks he isn't going to go over there and sort this out tonight!)._**

**_OR_**

**_We can keep it with Mac and just cut straight to her apartment and meet Will when we get there._**

**_I'm as yet undecided. To Will, or not to Will? Any thoughts?_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Okay, this has turned out to be something of a bridge between chapters since is a bit longer than I expected._**

**_I'm afraid I just had to indulge in some Charlie. It's too good to resist. BUT as promised I've kept it brief, because magnificent though Charlie Skinner is, let's face it: Will and Mac are just too good to waste any time. I'm currently writing the next chapter which should be up in the next day or so. Hope this keeps you going for now :)_**

* * *

How had that gone so wrong?

The taxi had long passed out of his line of sight, yet Will couldn't move from his spot on the kerb. He'd been getting to the – he'd been _trying_ to say –

A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to find Lonny, a mixture of pity and what was approaching disgust on his face. He thought Will looked about eight years old in that moment. Before he remembered that he was a middle-aged news anchor.

"Seriously?" Incredulity dripped from his words. Will looked away back up the busy street, as if hoping some miracle would occur and Mackenzie's taxi would appear back down the road. It did not.

Shaking his head in disbelief at his charge, Lonny tightened his grip on Will's shoulder and steered him back onto the sidewalk and dragged him slowly towards the bar. He attempted to wrest his arm from Lonny's grip, just wanting to go home so that he could think straight; but as soon as he did so, Mackenzie's orders to be with the others bounced back into his mind. He sighed. He knew she was right. They should not have to put up with whatever problems he and Mac were having on a given day – they already had to deal with it at work.

Lonny looked as if he knew exactly what had been going through his head too.

"Will –"

"Let's not – let's just – " He walked off to the bar leaving Lonny looking pitifully after him. These two seriously needed a room.

The bar was quite busy for a week night. He could spot Gary and Tess at the bar. Everyone one else was sitting around the usual table – it was really their table by now, right?

"Will!" Neal spotted him, waving him over to join the group, as relaxed, easy grin on his face. "We got you and Mac a drink."

He was looking around behind Will, obviously expecting to see Mackenzie. Great. Now he had to try and explain her absence.

"Sorry, Neal – Mac, uh - Mac wasn't feeling to well, so she's turned in early. Hopefully means she'll be better tomorrow. She said to make her apologies." He forced himself to smile and look apologetic at the young Brit whose own smile had faltered somewhat. Most of them seemed to be okay with his explanation; but Jim was looking less convinced, as was Don. He could practically feel Lonny's exasperation burning into the back of his skull. But sitting, Scotch in hand, and looking as though he could slap Will a couple of times around the face was a very unimpressed Charlie Skinner.

Meeting his eyes, Will knew there wasn't a chance in hell that Charlie had bought his excuse. Averting his eyes and gratefully accepting the drink from Neal, Will sunk into the only spare chair remaining.

"What the hell did you do?" Charlie snapped at him immediately, his voice low and hiss-like. It was like another dollop of misery had just been dropped on top of Will's head. It wasn't his fault! He'd only been trying to tell her – well – okay, maybe it was a little bit his fault. But he'd been acting with the best of intentions.

"I," Will began heavily, before deciding that not enough alcohol had yet been consumed to brave Charlie's wrath, so he took a large gulp of his drink. Tutting, Charlie pulled the drink from his hand and put it on the table, turning to face him fully, and looking demanding. Will spread his hands in gesture, "I was just trying to tell her –"

He stopped again. He couldn't say this. Not to Charlie when he had messed up telling Mac – it had been hard enough trying to tell _her_.

"McAvoy!" Will jumped.

"I was trying to tell her that I still…care about her." Will hissed, hoping none of the others were listening in. Charlie rolled his eyes, taking a large drink from his own tumbler before looking exasperatedly at Will.

"She _knows_ you care about her, you plank. _Everyone_ here and most people in the United States can see that you still _care_ about her!" He leaned forward, pointing his finger at Will, a knowing smirk on his face, "What you were really trying to tell her is that you're still in love with her, and are sick of pretending otherwise."

Will put his hands over his eyes as Charlie sat back smugly, looking very pleased with himself. Yes. That had been exactly what he had been trying to say.

He had been trying to say that although he wasn't quite over the betrayal yet, he knew he wanted to move on _with_ her, not from her. He wanted to get past everything because he couldn't do this to himself – or to her – anymore. It was stupid. The whole thing was so stupid. She was taking every piece of crap he was flinging at her and it made him feel good and vengeful for all of two minutes before he felt like shit.

And he had been trying to tell her that. But for some reason, which a sensible part of his brain argued had been necessary, he needed to explain all the reasons behind this revelation first. And boy had he done it in a terrible way. He was a news anchor: was speaking eloquently not supposed to be his job?

Congratulations Will! You've fucked up again. A+ this time for spectacle!

Although Will was hiding behind his hands, everyone else could plainly see that something was bothering him. And they were a smart bunch. Even a fifth grader could have worked out what it was.

Sighing as though this whole thing was making him tired, Charlie reached over and forced Will's drink back into his hand.

"Drink this, son." He said gently, kindness edging back into his voice. "You're going to need it. Because you're going to go over there and correct whatever stupid-ass thing you said to Mac; and if you have any sense at all, you'll apologise for being an ass, tell her that this whole thing needs to be put behind you, and then kiss her until you're close to suffocation. Believe me, that's the best remedy for these situations."

He stated all this as though passing a home remedy that his mother had passed onto him for healing nettle stings. Will simply stared back at him. Was it really going to be that simple? He doubted it somehow. But he downed the rest of his drink as he held Charlie's gaze.

"Will, when you asked me how many women I dated before I found the one, I said it didn't matter because I didn't date anyone after. And you replied that it was because 'the one' hadn't burned my heart in a roasting oven with rice. So, you've already admitted that Mac is the love of your life, and whatever stupid thing she did – no matter how much it hurt both of you – is worth forgetting about. I guarantee you she won't be that stupid again.

"I told you: you're older than you think. You're supposed to be getting wiser, not dumber!"

God. Why did Charlie always have to be right?

* * *

_**Next up, Will and Mac's confrontation! So excited to write it! Should be up in the next day or so. **_

_**Also, I just posted another story called "Because Sorkin is making me lose it" if anyone is interesed. BUT! If you haven't seen the finale and don't want spoilers then steer well clear until after you have. **_

_**Hope you enjoyed. Your reviews so far have all been lovely! They are really encouraging me to write and giving me confidence :) x**_


	4. Chapter 4A

**_Physically and Mentally Exhausted Ch. 4.1_**

**_So I have to admit, this chapter has left _me_ physically and mentally exhausted. I think over the last couple of days I've overdosed on writing, and this took the brunt of my crash :p_**

**_Still, as always, I hope I've managed to cobble together something you enjoy!_**

* * *

Across town from the merry-making that was going on at the karaoke bar, Mac was sitting on her sofa scrolling through the twitter feed, hunting for any new stories they could use tomorrow. Working had always been the easiest way of getting her mind off emotional issues – or Will, basically. He _was_ her emotional issue. Damnit. Now he was in her head again. Slamming the screen down in frustration, she pushed herself off the sofa and poured herself another glass of wine. Her phone buzzed – it was Jim. She ignored it.

Walking over to the tall glass windows she looked out over her city. The city that never sleeps. Well that suited her just fine.

It was a bright, clear evening; only a few bundles of cloud dotted the sky, the pink shadow of dusk canvassing the horizon, the sun no longer visible behind the concrete-glass outline of Manhattan Island.

It had been a night just like this one four years ago when she had first gotten a call from Brian. Why did she pick up? To this day she couldn't explain her actions. Whether it had been a need for closure, an out-of-character but somehow necessary need to avenge being dumped, or terror of actually settling down into a relationship, she only knew that it was the single greatest regret of her life.

_I'm paying the price! I work thirty feet from the life I could have had if I hadn't been so_ stupid_!_

Her eyes were beginning to sting so she scrunched them up as though to force her tears back down the tear ducts.

She was, generally speaking, a positive person. She had agreed to come back to New York and work with Will because she believed that they could do some good together. She had honestly had no intention or expectations that – well, what? That was a good question. What exactly was it that she was disappointed hadn't happened? She knew that she had trashed Will's heart – and her own, incidentally – and so she hadn't expected anything to happen…had she?

No, she sighed to herself, biting her lip and feeling slightly relieved as the few tears which had managed to escape her defences began to dry on her cheeks – she couldn't be bothered to wipe them away; she was alone right now - she could be as sad as she wanted to be! No, she was upset because against everything she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't dwell on, she _wanted_ something to happen.

She loved Will. He was The One for her, and she had fucked it up. And, despite the completely obvious conclusion that nothing would – _could_ happen, she found herself unable _not_ to yearn for what they had once had, or at least as close to that as was possible. She missed him. She missed _them_.

The sky was darkening now; pink turning to a plum-lilac haze and the lights of Broadway, just visible from this viewpoint, becoming sharper and brighter.

Going away had been the easy option. And it had helped! In Afghanistan she had rarely had time to dwell on what had happened, much less daydream about what might have happened if she hadn't answered that stupid phone call and gone to meet Brian. But now that she was here – well, she spent at least half of her day in Will's company, she had seen other women come in and out of his life as though they were being wheeled out on a conveyor belt from the Incredibly Sexy And Much Hotter Than Your Ex-Girlfriend Date Factory. She had seen the engagement ring that would probably have been on her finger in only a few short weeks if she hadn't come clean and told Will about the affair – because she would have said yes. Of course she would have. Until she met Will she had been terrified of commitment, but being with Brian had made her see more clearly, made her realise what it was that she really wanted; and she knew now that she would absolutely have accepted him.

Oh the might-have-beens! She and Will would probably be sitting in their flat, having just finished dinner together; possibly cleaning the dirty hands of their son or daughter after they had picked at their food. They'd be putting their child to bed, reading him or her a story before snuggling up on the couch together and giggling that at last they would have peace to enjoy some quality time.

God…the tears were back. How could she have been such a fucking idiot?

And – not that it makes it anymore acceptable to cheat on someone who isn't Will – but to betray someone who she not only loved, but someone who's traumatic history she was so familiar with…it just made her into the worst sort of person, didn't it? Lived a life that's "good and pure"? Who was she kidding?

It was not often that Mac found herself at as low a point as this. She supposed it was all heightened because of the exchange she had had with Will an hour or so ago.

It wasn't that she did not want him to have his say – she knew he had a right to – knew that sooner or later they would have had this conversation anyway. She had just expected a little warning; and that maybe it would have come after an argument, or a really crappy day in the newsroom as opposed to on an eve of success and triumph.

She was going round in circles now. All these arguments, all these memories and dreams had already gone through her head at least once since she had arrived home that night, and now the wine was making her drowsy and she was running out of steam.

How long had it been since she last had an early night? Mac snorted. She didn't even try to answer that question. At least five years? Taking another large swig from her glass so that less than a mouthful was left, she ran a hand over her face and tried to clear her mind. Tomorrow they would have to go through a whole new battle with Reese and Leona, so she might as well save her skirmishes with Will until then too.

There was a knock at the door. Oh come on!? Seriously? Jim was sweet to her, but she opened the door fully prepared to tell him that she just wanted to –

"Mac." She actually did a double take. Will McAvoy was standing in her doorway.

For the love of God! When she'd said 'we can do this later' she hadn't literally meant 'later'. Men!

She wanted to sigh, groan, run her hands messily through her hair, slam the door in his face – even stamping her feet crossed her mind, but she didn't know which to do first. In the end she opted for softly banging her head on the door and groaning before squinting up at his face in exasperation.

"How many glasses of wine have you had?" He asked softly, sounding mildly concerned. Oh he was so not going down this road. Suddenly she felt angry and defensive again.

"Not enough to be able to handle dealing with you Billy!" She snapped back at him, keeping a firm grasp on the door. She had not noticed it earlier, too wrapped up in her thoughts, but she _was_ feeling a little tipsy. Between Brian, and the Casey Anthony/Anthony Wiener debacle, coupled with the RNC disaster, she hadn't really found time to put food into the mix. But her tipsiness was beside the point. She let out a soft moan. "Seriously Will, I didn't mean later as in now, I meant later as in _another time_."

He gently grasped her shoulders and walked her gently back into the apartment; and she simply could not muster the strength to fight him. Closing the door behind him, he turned back looking nervous.

After attempting to look serious and obstinate (and failing) she just rolled her eyes and meandered over to plonk herself down on one of the breakfast bar stools, waiting with defeated expectation for him to speak. He leaned against the wall opposite so that he was in her line of sight.

"You didn't let me finish." He said softly.

"Too right I didn't!"

"You're right, it was a terrible time to say it –"

"Wow, you think? Whatever drew you to that conclusion –"

"But," he spoke over her sarcasm, "I think you'll want to hear this."

"I never want to hear that I hurt you Will. I fully understand that without you repeating it back to me." She stared down miserably at the last swirls of wine before tipping it back and laying it down with a clink on the bar. She looked utterly defeated. And she didn't meet his gaze again.

Unsure of what to make of what he was witnessing, Will folded his arms across his chest, opened his mouth to begin, changed his mind, decided to say something else, changed his mind, and then finally focussed back on Mackenzie, his decision made at last. He pushed himself off the wall.

"Mac, do you mind if I try something?"

She looked up at him moving towards her, and shook her head glumly, past the point of caring. "No, you go right ahead."

Putting her head in hand which was resting on the bar she shut her eyes, willing him to leave by force of mind. This meant that she never saw his hand reach out to gently turn her face towards him once more. She only caught a split second glimpse of him leaning in as her mouth dropped in surprise before a warm darkness engulfed her and Will's lips met hers.

At first she didn't respond. She simply allowed him to continue pressing soft kisses to her lips, one hand cupping her cheek, thumb stroking her cheekbone soothingly, the other gently at her hip. She wasn't sure what was going on or why he was doing it. But he squeezed her hip encouragingly, and decided not to think anymore. She pressed her lips back against his.

It was not passionate or full of repressed longing. It was gentle – lazy, almost; the way their mouths melted together and became reacquainted. Her hand leaning gently on his chest before she slowly moved it upwards to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Slowly the moment grew more intense as Will pressed open mouthed kisses, but never made it feel hurried or rushed. He was enjoying it, enjoying the feel of having her in his arms again.

Soon, however, there was a clash of survival instincts in Mac: her lungs were telling her that she needed air, whilst her heart was warning her that if she pulled back from him now, she may never be in this position again. Too her complete devastation, her lungs won the fight.

Gently, as though regretting ever miniscule molecule of time that it took to pull back from him, she pushed her spare hand against his chest. He looked down at her, eyes bright and glassy, his lips puffed and slightly out of breath. But it was a deep, penetrating gaze that she found herself locked into.

As her brain slowly caught up with what just happened, the complete confusion she was feeling gradually began to manifest itself on her face. Will had just kissed her in a way which she could only describe as _loving_ – his hands were still determinately attached to her body, and his eyes were looking so deeply into hers that she would hardly be surprised if he could see into her soul. She was speechless.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to hear the _rest_ of what I wanted to tell you?" He spoke in barely more than a whisper, although she noted a faint tone of amusement haunting the inflection of his voice.

Oh. Yeah. He hadn't finished what he had been trying to tell her earlier. She frowned, trying to navigate her way through her mind, clouded by alcohol and now a new intoxication of a completely different kind, to the part which had decided only a short time ago that she needed to leave Will on the pavement because she didn't think she could take what he had to say to her.

The mini her that was standing on her mind's version of that Manhattan street merely shrugged back at her, as if trying to say 'well what would you have thought?'

Wait. No! That _was_ what she had thought because strange as it may be she _was_ herself! Come on Mac, get it together!

So how had she arrived at that conclusion?

Will had just kissed her…could what he had to say really be so terrible, if he had KISSED her? What had she missed?

She was squinting at the third button from the top of his shirt, one hand on his chest to steady herself as she tried to retrace her subconscious' steps. She was brought back to reality by a soft chuckle. Will's thumb was still stroking her cheek, and as she raised her head to meet his gaze again, she was instantly captivated by the warm amusement in his eyes as he obviously understood exactly what had been running through her head. It was an impressive mark of their friendship that he could do that, because of the few things which were certain at this exact moment in time, one of the most prominent was that her mind was clearly a very screwed up place.

"What else were you going to tell me?" She croaked out, still feeling slightly numb.

The hand at her hip rose to take the one resting on his chest, and he clasped them together as he spoke. "I think I was up to the trying-to-forgive-you bit, right?"

"You'd actually just got to the part where you said you _couldn't_ forgive me." Mac replied sounding reproachful, her face still displaying shock. He suddenly looked guilty.

"I – yeah – Mac –"

"But did you helpfully explain _why_ you couldn't. I think that's where you were up to." She was sounding choked-up again, and the confusion as to how they had reached this this point was once more evident on her face.

"Okay. So we've established that I'm crap about talking about my emotions. What's new?" He joked gently, squeezing her fingers in his. She could feel a smile threatening to reach her mouth. But it didn't quite make it. "What I was about to go onto before you cut me off –"

Mac's stare was suddenly more urgent, desperate, even pleading as she waited, her breath hitched, to hear what he would say. Will saw this, and his mouth suddenly became dry as he processed the weight of what he was about to tell her. He took a breath,

"What I was about to tell you was that – even though I haven't forgive you yet I _want_ to. I _want_ to forgive you because – "

He searched her eyes, boring into his, as he gave his subconscious one last chance to prevent his heart saying what it wanted to,

"Because I'm still in love you."

* * *

So you may have noticed '4.1' I think 4.2 will be a lot easier since I have somewhere easier to pick up from; and so this time when I say it will be up by the end of the day, that might actually happen! :p

Hope you liked :)


	5. Chapter 4B

_**Physically and Mentally Exhausted Ch. 4.2**_

_**FINALLY THE NEXT CHAPTER IS HERE! A thousand apologies for my lies.**_

_**Okay, for starters I'm going to stop being specific about saying I'll post something at such and such a time, because I think I'm jinxing myself…either that or someone up there just likes putting obstacles in my way so that I look like an idiot.**_

_**Sorry it's a little bit shorter, but I wanted to do the next day as a separate chapter.**_

_**Anyways, hope it's worth the wait! (I am sorry and I do feel a bit guilty :p)**_

* * *

Mac stared at him.

Words were ringing in her ears. Will's words – soft, brilliant, perfect words! Words she had thought she would never hear again. How much time had passed since he'd said them? She didn't know. She felt sudden sympathy for her laptop when it overloads and then crashes because she imagined this was the human version of what that feels like.

"Mac?" Will's voice brought her gently back to the present, and she blinked up at him through shocked, watery eyes. She swallowed quickly so that she would be able to speak through her dry, raw throat.

"You couldn't have just said that part at the beginning?" she asked weakly. Will's face split into a smile and he leaned in to steal another kiss before she pulled away resting her hand on his cheek and her forehead under his chin, just taking a moment to absorb it all.

Will _was_ still in love with her! And he wanted to try and make something of them! She told herself to stop, and not get too carried away…a relationship was complicated; and they would have a lot of issues to work through…so for now Mac chose to dwell on the first part: he _still_ loved her.

As this glorious piece of information sunk in, she let out a choked laugh, and pulled back to take Will's face in properly, smiling at him. His face was bright, with a sheen and a glow to it that could mean only happiness. She could happily have let that moment go on for a good while longer, a tiny percentage of her still questioning whether she was a little tipsier than she felt and whether this might all be some sort of drunken delusion.

For his part, Will felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off the spot on his chest just above his heart. He felt giddy and pumped with adrenaline even though all he had done was walk from one side of a room to the other – not run the New York Marathon. This was just the effect Mac (and especially kissing Mac)had on him; and he hadn't felt it in far too long. There was just one thing missing from this scene…although even the lack of this crucial ingredient could not change the way he was looking at Mac at that precise moment.

Mac seemed to realise this too though, letting out a tiny gasp as it occurred to her. She looked bashfully up at Will and wrapped both her arms round his neck, resting her forehead on his.

"I love you too, Will."

That was all he needed to hear. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her harder, deeper. She responded enthusiastically, pressing herself right up against him, loving the feel of his warm torso around her. From her seat on the stool she was at just the right height to wrap her legs around his waist. Taking the hint, he lifted her off the stool and held her tightly too him, wresting himself from her mouth to plant small, loving kisses along her cheek and down her neck to her collarbone as she tucked her head tightly into the space where his neck joined his shoulders; she just belonged there. She let out a contented sigh, holding onto him like he might slip off into the ethos if she let go. He just stood, holding her, not quite believing that she was actually back with him, curled around him.

As their breathing calmed down she slowly brought herself round to face him again, gazing deeply into his eyes before letting out a small sigh and pressing another long but chaste kiss to his lips. He kissed her back and they looked at each other. Here she was, literally wrapped around him, various parts of her in close proximity to part of him which were offering a tantalising promise of what these renewed feelings might mean for them; but as Will looked at her – really looked at her – he decided that, a) Mackenzie was exhausted, slightly drunk, and probably a little emotionally drained from his exhibition earlier, and b) that although he knew that he'd made the right choice in telling her and in coming here, he wasn't quite ready for anything more yet. He still had some issues to work out; but he was now firmly on the right track.

Mac could see all this going on behind his eyes, could see the potential conflict growing, and decided to head it off before it ruined this for them. She let out the yawn that had been threatening to escape from her since just before Will had arrived and smiled at him. He looked at her gratefully and pressed a kiss to her forehead before carrying her like a sleepy child down the hall to her bedroom. She once more snuggled into him, gently kissing his neck and making lazy shapes on his back with her fingers.

He let her slip down gently, not letting her go immediately but pulling her into a gentle embrace, breathing in the smell of her.

Mac grinned into his shirt, punching his chest lightly. "I smell of wine, stupid."

Will grinned in return and replied, his words vibrating against her skin, "Not too much I'd guess. I now believe you when you say you didn't have too much." He pulled back and looked at her appraisingly, hands still at her hips. She tried to look innocent but gave up within ten seconds and rolled her eyes.

"Okay…so I forgot to eat." He watched her ruefully as she pulled out a pair of pyjamas from behind her pillow and tottered into her bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. Will wandered over to the window to see the view. New York really did look stunning at night time. God he loved this place.

He heard Mac's reappearance before he caught her reflection in the glass. She was standing in the doorway looking slightly as though she was about to jump off a cliff. They just stared at each other for a second, weighing the moment up. Will made the first move. He walked around Mac's bed and lifted the covers off for her. She smiled shyly, and walked over.

"There's a spare toothbrush somewhere in the cupboard, I think." He tucked her in and made his way into the bathroom, slipping his shoes off at the door.

Mac watched him go, butterflies in her stomach. She still had trouble believing that this was happening. Now they just had to _not_ fuck it up.

Will meanwhile, pulled out his phone after finding the toothbrush and debated what to text Lonny. In the end he opted to keep it simple and let him read into it what he wanted.

_I'll be here in the morning._

Hitting send, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He realised he felt at home here, surrounded by her things, by Mackenzie.

When he re-emerged a few moments later Mackenzie was still awake, but looking very sleepily up at him. She looked absolutely beautiful. She really didn't need to wear make-up – not that she didn't look beautiful when she did, but…oh, never mind! He smiled back at her and walked around to the other side of the bed.

He didn't pull himself under the covers to be right beside her, but instead pulled her into him as close as their duvet barrier allowed, kissing her temple gently. She snuggled back into him, getting comfortable and linked her fingers easily through his.

"Goodnight Mackenzie." He whispered into her ear.

She smiled and squeezed his hand, murmuring a sleepy "Love you, Will."

He smiled into her hair.

* * *

_**Phew, that's finished! I'm keen to hear what you think because I'm slightly scared it's different from the first four…I maybe got a bit out of the swing of it? Maybe I'm just being stupid…anyway, it's difficult to tell. You could let me know.**_

_**I'm really looking forward to writing the next couple of chapters though: the next morning, and the next day at work! :D Fun, fun, fun!**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Physically and Mentally Exhausted Ch. 5**_

_**Boom! Two chapters in one night.**_

_**I was reading Caruncle's update for the brilliant fic "The Conference" just as I posted the last chapter and was writing this one and was amused by the similarities of Will and Mac in bed :p We clearly have similar minds hehe and Caruncle got there first rather brilliantly! So, I do have a strange feeling that no one will mind if there are some small, coincidental similarities (I apologise if there are, there shouldn't be many really), but I highly recommend that if you haven't checked out The Conference, you really should! It's very fab :)**_

_**Anyways! Will and Mackenzie. In bed. Here we go…**_

* * *

The light crept over the windows of Mac's bedroom, reflecting off the glass jungle that was central Manhattan. It pressed at Will's eyelids, bullying him into waking up; but he didn't want to. He knew exactly where he was and who he was with, and he grinned to himself as this thought occurred to him.

How long had it been since his first action when he woke up was to smile? Too long. And there was the incentive to open his eyes – screw the summer sun: Mac was curled into him. She had twisted around during the night so that she was facing him, her head tucked under his chin against his heart. She looked utterly adorable and sweet, peaceful – the side to her that no one at work truly knew due to her passionate, manic madness in the newsroom. He loved both parts of her in equal measure, but he was pleased that this part of her had always been his. He treasured that.

Looking down, he found her delicate hand lying over his chest, tracing it with his index finger and watching her face to see if she reacted. Glancing past her head at the digital clock, he could see that it was just gone six. She would need to be at work in ninety short minutes. Sighing at the need to rouse her from this state of peace, he gently rubbed her upper arm, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She frowned, nose twitching, before snuggling in closer. A small laugh escaped him. He really couldn't bring himself to force her awake, and was more than happy to continue his ministrations so that she would awaken gradually, time limit be damned. He pushed her hair back, reacquainting himself with the contours of her face, and lightly blew some air onto her face, knowing that this would cause that adorable, _bewitched_-like nose twitch again; he wasn't disappointed.

"Mac." He called gently, nuzzling her nose and giving her a soft kiss on her lips. At this she twisted, moaning softly, as she finally began to wake up. Her eyes opened blearily and she blinked at him for a moment before petulantly burrowing her face back into his neck. He laughed again and decided it was time for drastic measures.

His hand drifting down to her stomach he stared innocently ahead and waited a moment before he struck, tickling her mercilessly. She let out a frantic squawk and flailed around trying to escape his grasp, but he held her fast.

"Okay! Okay! I give in, I'm awake!" She managed to breathe out before clutching her stomach. She whined sleepily and he pulled her round to his arms again, leaning in to kiss her; waking her up far more effectively, she felt. She pressed herself to him through the duvet, rolling slightly on top of him. Eventually he had to push her away for fear it would turn into something else. But she didn't seem bothered; in fact, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"What?" She shrugged innocently, "If you _will_ tickle me…I'm allowed retribution."

He pushed her away playfully and brought himself into a sitting position, stretching. Mackenzie pottered over to the window, stretching out herself and yawning before peeking onto the streets below which were just beginning to come to life; joggers out running, a few street vendors catching the early starters and buses starting their days rounds.

She felt arms encircle her waist and gently pull her backwards until she rested against the owner. She smiled in pleasure, and a wave of happiness washed over her. How she had missed her mornings when they began this way. Following her gaze, Will leaned his head on her shoulder and kissed her collarbone, gently massaging her abdomen. She placed her own hands over his and leaned back into him.

"Good morning." She smiled lazily. He returned it, rising to claim her lips. "You want to grab a shower here or are you waiting 'til you get home?"

He paused, thinking for a moment. "Not much point in getting showered just to put these back on. I'll wait."

"Okay." She smiled.

"Could go for breakfast though." He suggested.

"We can do that."

"I'll do it. You go for your shower." He said firmly, pulling her back against him and staring back out over the Big Apple.

"You're the guest!" She protested.

He kissed her cheek. "And you're the boss. Besides, Lonny has to get here. You still like your eggs the same way?"

She nodded, biting down on her lip in her usual habit. With a last look at her, he released her and headed out into the kitchen. She watched him go, unable to stop smiling before turning back to the window. A bright new day: how fitting.

* * *

By the time she had emerged from the bathroom and pulled on her robe, she could smell the wafting scent of Will's breakfast coming from the kitchen; another of the many things she missed about them. Breakfast always used to be a good meal for them – before work had started and they had to be stressed, they would just sit and talk and laugh, only mentioning the news in passing as they got ready to leave. The morning was just their time. She brushed her hair and then headed into the kitchen.

Will smiled as her saw her, momentarily stopping as he caught sight of her in her dressing gown, legs showing. She blushed, having forgotten about that. He saw this and grinned cheekily, nodding to the eggs, toast and tomatoes he had laid on a plate at the bar next to a cup of tea and a glass of Tropicana, just the way she always liked it.

She was dancing inside, hope building that maybe this new relationship wouldn't be as different as she had figured it would have to be – it was all about the small things, right?

God this felt right, Will thought as he cooked his own eggs, watching Mac tuck into hers.

They ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence, each lost in thinking about the previous night and their rather nice morning routine which they seem to have slipped back into without too much trouble at all. The only sign that they were actively engaged with each other was the occasional game of footsy that broke out under the table, which caused small glances and smiles.

Mac hoped that in time their morning conversation would come back – she guessed that today they were maybe both a little overwhelmed at the events of the last twenty-four hours (talk about a rollercoaster ride), and that they had maybe said enough to be going on with; but she hoped it came back.

Jeez, she was thinking about more mornings with him already. She blushed again, but was absolutely certain that there _would_ be other mornings.

Mac had just put down her fork and downed the last of her Tropicana with a flourish, smiling her thanks at Will, when there was a knock at the door. Guessing it would be Lonny, she left Will to finish his eggs and went to answer it. Sure enough, the bodyguard was standing there in his usual sharp suit, but this time he was practically beaming at her. Smiling back sheepishly, she gestured for him to come in, apologising for her state of undress.

"He's through here." She led the way over to the breakfast bar and grabbed the now empty plates, sticking them in the dishwasher.

Lonny took in Will's admittedly slightly dishevelled looking clothes –he _had_ slept in them all night – and then to his very undishevelled-looking face. He smirked knowingly, to which Will rolled his eyes, but he didn't stop smiling, just grinned at his arms instead.

"We ready to go here Will?" Lonny asked.

Will twisted round to see Mac sipping her tea, leaning against the counter. "I'll see you at work." She smiled, with a small wink. He nodded, getting up and walking over to press a swift kiss to her forehead and leaning into her for just a second longer before turning back to Lonny and heading out.

"See you soon!"

* * *

Mac wasn't entirely sure how she felt about going into work in this new…relationship, with Will. A thousand questions now occurred to her. How would they tell them? When would they tell them? Would she honestly be able to go the whole day without kissing him now that she knew she could?

She chastised her mind for racing ahead of itself. They were nowhere near being ready to tell anyone else – they didn't quite know what was going on themselves; just that it was right. She had to remind herself that Will still had issues and that there were things to discuss and sort out. They would probably have a few fights along the way, but if the end result was that she would come into work feeling this way every day then she knew she could get past that.

As she stepped out of the lift she was, as she should be, the first one into the office. She had to admit that she did slightly enjoy having the place to herself for an hour or so in the morning when it was calm and fresh, and recovered from whatever inevitable frenzy the News Night team had worked themselves into the night before. Jim would be in by about quarter past eight and they'd have their usual morning coffee before the other started spilling into the place in dribs and drabs by nine.

Starting her routine, she grabbed her first cup of coffee and settled into scrolling through her emails, dreading a message starting with either Reese or Leona's name. There wasn't one…yet. But it was only ten to eight – plenty of time. Still, her worry about retribution kept being pleasantly interrupted by memories of the last few hours. She was genuinely finding it very difficult to stop herself from smiling; but she would have to learn or else the staffers would really suspect something.

She wondered what excuse Will had made for her last night, she supposed she should have asked. A fast, last minute change of plans? He probably went with her being ill or something; she grabbed her blackberry to text him and ask. This was how Jim found her.

* * *

"So…?" Lonny asked, looking at his friend slash protectee, between keeping his eyes on the road.

Will just looked out the window. Lonny had probably come to conclusions of his own; and with the exception of Charlie – who he knew would absolutely not be taking no for an answer – he wanted to keep last night between him and Mac. It felt special.

"Okay." Lonny nodded coolly but still smirking slightly, turning back to face the road. "I get you, man. She's a great woman."

He looked back at Will, a genuine smile on his face, which the anchor could only return. He knew Lonny was happy for him – him and Mac. He remembered the look on the bodyguard's face when Habib had told him that in the process of sorting himself out he was hurting Mackenzie too. He knew Lonny would not say anything to the others.

* * *

_**SO. Next up: some quiet time with Mac and Jim, the arrival of the staffers, Will, and…BRIAN! Yes, he's back! But for how long….? Plus some Charlie, too :)**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**Physically and Mentally Exhausted Ch. 6**_

_**I've been back at work and have had to be a responsible adult and all that malarkey, so happy that I'm now able to post this! Warning: there is quite a lot packed into this chapter.**_

* * *

Jim knocked on the open door as Mac took a sip of coffee. She smiled, but tried not to smile too hard, or answer too brightly.

"Come in." She said, pointing to the spare chair, "Morning."

"And you." He said wearily sinking into the chair. She smirked.

"Had a few drinks last night?" Jim groaned, running his hand over his face tonight as though he thought that rubbing off his hangover would work. "You should be drinking water, not coffee." She chastised gently.

"If I don't drink the coffee I won't be awake long enough to make it to the water cooler." Jim insisted, nursing the beverage probably like he had the vodka the night before.

Mackenzie laughed, checking the news sites to see what people were talking about.

"What's going on in the world today then?" Jim croaked, still sipping his coffee, keeping it near his nose so that the fumes might waft into his nasal passages and give him the kick into full consciousness.

"So far, not an awful lot. The markets closed at a down last night except in China and Japan. There was more fire exchange between government and –rebel forces in Homs last night." Mackenzie scanned to see if there was anything else that stood out for them, sitting back into her chair, "Give it an hour though, there's and early vote at quarter to nine or something this morning."

The young producer listened quietly as she tailed off.

"Are you alright by the way?" He piped up after a moment, looking up so search her face properly for the first time, his expression one of concern. "You bailed last night."

She smiled gratefully at him, "I'm fine. I was just feeling a bit off, that's all."

He looked sceptical. "You sure? You're sure that Will didn't do something stupid?"

She gave him a rueful look and he simply raised an eyebrow. "I'm feeling better, thanks for asking."

He put his hands up, recognising defeat. "Okay." He took another sip of coffee, staring distractedly at a stapler on her desk, pausing before continuing, "But you know if he ever does hurt you I'll –"

"What?" Mackenzie teased, one eyebrow raised in amusement. He made a face.

"I'll – I'll give him a good talking to." He tried to sound stern, she turned away grinning. He leaned forward in protestation. "I'll punch him!" At this she just laughed, looking at him warmly. Jim was like her little brother at times – at others she felt like she'd been married to him for forty years. He was the only one apart from Will and Charlie who could really put a stop to her if she got going; she was proud of him.

"Seriously Mac," he looked at her soberly, "I know you're still beating yourself up about Brian and haven't forgiven yourself but…Will's evened the score a little now. Give yourself a break."

A weak smile crept across his face as he tried to work out whether he'd gone step too far into her personal life. She stared at him as though he was an alien for a moment, before dropping her head and shaking it, smiling a little.

"Jim, really, I'm okay." There was a glint of something in her eyes that he couldn't quite place, but as he opened his mouth to see if he could push it further, the sounds of the newsroom staffers reached their ears and Jim rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his coffee and getting heavily out of his seat.

"Any other sore heads this morning?" Mac enquired sweetly. He shot her a glare, before softening into a disgruntled scowl. He left the room muttering to himself and heading off to rally his troops; Mac chuckled to herself.

* * *

It was strange that after such an adrenaline-fuelled night in the studio, that morning in the News Night bullpen went sluggishly slow, and little to nothing actually happened. The failure to secure the debate was occasionally cause for a disappointed smile or a regretful sigh, but as soon as this had happened the success of their broadcast was remembered and the staffer perked up. They were back in business. For how long, however, no one knew.

Charlie had dropped Mac an email just after ten saying he would be at their usual 11 o'clock meeting. Though it was by no means unusual for Charlie to join in, it was for him to tell her in advance – usually he just turned up. She frowned as she read the email again, wondering if this meant bad news. But the only bad news she could think of would be from the forty-fourth floor, which would be urgent; so Charlie would have told her straight away…surely?

"You're not looking very bright." a familiar spoke voice from the door. Holy hell! How could she have forgotten? She looked up to find Brian leaning in the doorway, his usual confident self, notepad in hand. "Though, better I guess than you must have been feeling last night. They're saying you weren't at the bar."

"Well since you're getting your information from the grapevine, you clearly didn't even get an invitation." Mac replied coolly, swivelling to face him.

"Not my area of jurisdiction." He said with an ugly smile.

"You need to look up the definition of 'jurisdiction' Brian because I can assure you, you have none whatsoever."

"Someone's feisty this morning. Rough night?" Annoyingly she could see that his defensiveness was hiding a small bit of concern for her – a small bit of concern that she felt contaminated her, and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with. She was not _his_. He was so fucking self-absorbed and smug that he didn't even know the difference between a relationship and an affair for Christ's sake! As his words registered though, she smirked.

"I had a great night actually. You?"

"I started typing up my story."

"I thought you had to run it through Will?"

"Oh, I do. But there's no harm in giving him something to look at. In fact, that's generally considered a good move."

"Well, we know how your general expectations and values are a little bit twisted sometimes."

Brian bristled, his eyes flashing. "You have to stop making it out like I'm the bad guy here, Mac. You think _I'm_ twisted? Will put me here. What does that say about _him_?"

"It says that I took his heart and boiled it and he's not quite done getting even yet. If I didn't think that the reason I'd done it was, in hindsight, the biggest regret of my life, ever, I'd be pissed off; but as it is I do think that. Are we clear on this, yet? Because it seems to be taking an awfully long time to get through that thick, smug skull of yours."

Brian looked as though she had slapped him. A deep sense of satisfaction warmed the pit of her stomach as she stared back at him. Yes, she had once been with this man, and cared about him, but then she had met the love of her life and although she bore most of the responsibility for what had happened, Brian was an accomplice and a part of that, and she hated herself and him for what they had done. The fact that he seemed to be completely ignoring her wishes to not dwell on their history – and if anything seemed to be trying to win her favour _again_ despite the virtual flashing neon signs in block capitals telling him that she was absolutely not interested – made her blood boil.

"What I had with you isn't even half of what I had with him. I'd choose him over you every time without even thinking."

There was a brief pause before a satisfied smirk crossed Brian's face. "But you didn't."

"Which is why I think Will has a right to give me some stick for it." She stood up gracefully and picked up her blackberry. "I just wish someone had knocked the stupidity out of me _before_ I acted on it."

Brian glared at her, and in perfect timing Charlie appeared at the door. He looked briefly surprised to see Brian sitting there, and shot Mac a concerned look.

"Charlie." She smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"Was just wondering if I could have a word?"

"Sure." She started making for the door.

"Do you mind if I – "

"You're done remember?" She hissed softly as she passed. Charlie looked between them as Mac passed him, shooting a lingering look of distaste at Brian before following her out into the bullpen.

Looking down at his notepad, Brian snapped the pen he was holding and hurled it behind Mackenzie's desk. Why the hell had he come here? Yes to get a cover story, but he had had an ulterior motive. And now Mac had just shoved his efforts right back in his face, humiliating him for a second time. Bitterly he smirked as he thought of her and Will. Stupid bitch, he thought. How pathetic do you have to be to hang around someone who just throws shit at you because he childishly couldn't get over being dumped?

He clearly did not get the irony.

However, it would occur to him two weeks later after publishing his story and discovering that Will _had_ in fact gone back to Mackenzie.

* * *

"Everything okay in there?" Charlie asked in a low tone as he and Mackenzie strode towards the elevator.

Still livid at the pure nerve of Brian to walk into her office and try to entice her back into his life made it hard for her to speak until she knew she wasn't going to lose it. She was quite proud at how composed she had managed to keep herself during that little stand-off, but she was glad that she could let her guard down in front of Charlie.

She punched the button hard and turned to face him, leaning against the panelling; she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I just want him out of here." She said honestly, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. She opened her eyes again as Charlie gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. He was smiling at her with crinkled eyes, and she returned it, grateful for the respite.

"Have I mentioned that Will is an idiot for choosing him?" He said in mock sternness, drawing himself up to his full height; though she could tell he was being genuine – just trying to make her laugh.

"No you didn't." She smiled ruefully.

"Well he is." He said firmly in a much gentler voice, the concern once again appearing in his eyes as the two of them stepped into the lift. He looked as though he was hesitating in voicing what he wanted to say next, and Mac looked at him curiously. There was a cheeky look in his eyes.

"Did Will apologise last night?" Oh. He was clearly trying to keep a neutral tone and his trademark knowing smirk off his face – and he was doing pretty well! Especially since as soon as he asked, he could read Mac's response like she was an open book.

She knew she wouldn't be able to hide anything from Charlie. She had a sneaking suspicion that he had had more than just the show's interests at heart when he had thrown Will and her back together; and she knew without any shadow of a doubt it was because he cared deeply for Will – and for her too, she hoped.

She felt like a kid who was telling her doting granddad about her new boyfriend as she grinned at her shoes. "Yes, he did." She looked up at them and saw the unmasked delight in his eyes. He didn't press the matter, just smiled at her.

Thank God for Charlie.

Mac hadn't told her own father the reasons for her and Will's separation. She knew he thought something terrible had gone on, but she also knew that he loved Will like the son he had never had, and when she had lost Will, her father had lost the a great deal too. Will had not seen him since, even though he and her father had been good friends and had used to spend a lot of time together – but apparently seeing him would have reminded him too much of Mac.

Her father had learned the truth though – from TMI. She shut her eyes as she remembered the tone of his voice when he had called her and demanded to know whether it was true. He wasn't even angry, but in all her life she had never heard such disappointment in his voice.

Charlie seemed to realise that he had pushed her thoughts in an unpleasant direction and trod lightly on her toe to get her attention.

"It's never too late, you know." He said kindly.

"Yeah, I know." She managed to pull a smile onto her face again as she remembered the previous night's events, knew that those words actually held some meaning for her and Will now.

They exited the lift in a comfortable silence, as Charlie let her thoughts drift back to more pleasant things.

"So what is it that you actually want to talk about?" Mac said distractedly as they drew near to his office, realising that she didn't know.

"Well," he began, ushering Mac in the door and making sure it was shut behind them, "I wanted to start talking about how we are going to broach this story of illegal surveillance, and TMI."

Mac frowned, noticing he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. That aside, she wanted to know, "Should we not wait for Will?"

"He said he'd be here in fifteen minutes, ten minutes ago, so I think we can get started."

"Okay, you're worried." Mac stated, not even putting it to him as a question. She sat up a little straighter in her seat, ready to focus.

"Well…" Charlie poured himself a measure of bourbon and took the seat behind his desk to face her. "I have no doubts that we should publish the story, but what I do have concerns about is how we do it and when."

"Why?" Mac frowned.

"I'm not entirely sure Leona knows." He told her in a measured voice, knowing her reaction would be the opposite.

"How could she _not_ know Charlie?! Reese is her son, and she is the owner of the company?!"

"Look, Solomon knows about this, that's why he gave us the documents; and he's the one in the know and he's saying that it goes as high as Reese – if it went as high as Leona, that's what he would have said."

Logically, Mac knew that it was a fair conclusion, but she still felt a little incredulous. "Charlie, you've seen the coverage of the News of the World debacle – when you look at pictures and reports of Rupert Murdoch next to his son, do you honestly believe that he knew nothing?"

He could see her point, and knew that when they broke the story, Mac would be the first in a very, very, very long line to take this point of view – which was why he wanted to pre-empt it now. "Look, I know what you think of her Mac. She's attacked your programme – your baby – and she's had a go at the guy you would put yourself under a train to protect for all the wrong reasons, but I have known Leona Lansing for twenty years. There are some things you can't hide about yourself, and some things you can always tell about a person. Leona might chase ratings and go for the more vulgar story to get them, but she's not in the business of committing felonies. She might screw over and informed public for business reasons, but she's not a criminal. Reese on the other hand…"

He shook his head darkly, fringe flopping from one side of his head to the other, and got up and started to pace. Mac watched him thoughtfully, touched that he would still defend his friend even though she wasn't strictly on their team, no matter how much Charlie claimed she might want to be. It depends what you define as criminal. Criminal neglect? Dereliction of duty? But Mac had always been crazy about loyalty.

He stopped pacing to look at her, to see if he'd managed to get through, but as she was about to open her mouth and speak there was a knock on the door and Will entered, looking much fresher than when she had last seen him – tousle-haired and in crumpled clothes. He was now in a pair of smart jeans and a polo shirt, showered and clean shaven.

"Morning Charlie." He nodded in greeting, before his gaze drifted to Mac, and he smiled widely. They didn't say anything, she just returned his smile, once more her thoughts drifting to this morning and she started absent-mindedly twiddling with the beads she was wearing as Will took the seat next to her. They both missed the wonderful, happy look that had spread across Charlie's face as he watched this awkward but adorable exchange. He waited for either or them to say something, and when they didn't he let out an exasperated huff,

"For the love of God guys, it's me! William! Kiss that girl good morning and be a man, would you?" He downed his drink and went to pour himself another one. Will and Mac laughed at him, Will reaching over to gently entwine his fingers with Mac's, giving them a squeeze.

"So," Will cleared his throat as Charlie sat back down. "What's this all about?"

* * *

After deliberating over how they would paint Leona in the picture of the TMI hacking scandal – Will and Charlie had convinced her to simply focus on Reese and let others put whatever questions they came up with to Leona because for now they had no '_facts'_ which actually put her in the picture (Mac ignored the teasing) – and got onto the topic of their inevitable attachment to the story. News Night and AWM's other shows were all tied to TMI through the company, and so there were clearly going to be questions asked. But Mac pointed out that due to the fact that they were the ones breaking the story, they had a less-than-friendly history with TMI, and that these reasons combined with their reputation as an honest and factual news show meant they should be able to field any questions with confidence.

They headed down to the eleven o'clock meeting together and laughed as Charlie filled the two of them in on Neal and Jim's impromptu drunken karaoke at the bar last night, and Martin and Tess' alcohol-fuelled kiss.

The staffers were already assembled in the conference room, as was – much to everyone's displeasure – Brian. Mac and Will were walking very close together behind Charlie and after spotting Brian, she gave his hand a quick squeeze and together they stepped once more into the breach.

* * *

_**Sorry if it was a little bit of a filler and I'm sorry to say not that much Mac/Will. But I'll definitely be making up for that next chapter! There was some housekeeping that was needed on this fic for plot reasons. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyways. **_

_**I'm building up to the inevitable Brian-Will confrontation! :)**_

_**P.S. I am still having an internal debate as to whether it was really Tess or Tamara who kissed Martin...feel free to have him kiss whoever you want :p**_


	8. Chapter 7

**_Physically and Mentally Exhausted Ch. 7_**

* * *

It was a long meeting. Well actually, it was exactly the same length as all their other 2 o'clock briefings – it merely _felt_ longer because a certain journalist was watching the News Night Crew, and especially their two leaders, with extra care.

After what seemed like an age to Mackenzie, they were finally at the last minute or so of the D Block session and as Jim took up the conversation Brian got up, closing the lid on his Biro and leaned in to speak to her. She caught Will looking sharply at him, as she nodded at Brian's request.

She looked at her ex carefully, before she said, "Sure. You need to work around the broadcast though. I don't want them distracted when they need to focus."

"Fine." He replied, staring back at her with an equal intensity. She couldn't tell exactly what was going through his mind, but she had the distinct impression that Brian was not finished tormenting her yet. She realised that Jim had stopped speaking, and that everyone was looking at them curiously.

"Well everybody, it's Brian's last day with us tomorrow before he goes off to actually write this thing and he's just looking for a last word from everyone, so at some point during the rest of today or tomorrow he'll stop you for a few minutes. But that's all for now, we'll meet back here at 6 for the rundown."

"I thought I'd start off with you." Brian whispered in her ear. She stiffened, slightly repulsed by the fact that she could feel him standing so close to her that their knees knocked against each other slightly. She composed herself whilst packing up her notepad and shot him a cold look.

"Okay. What's your question?" He smirked slightly.

"Can we do this in your office?" She was seething, she knew he was just trying to intimidate her and make her feel small; but she wasn't going to let him. She forced a sweet smile back onto her face before nodding.

"Of course. I'll meet you in there; I just have to speak to Will for a second."

A small frown crossed Brian's face as she said this, but he nodded slowly as she turned off into the bullpen and towards Will's office. Will was heading over there himself, and out of the corner of his eye saw her coming. He held the door open for her so that she could pass in front of him, shooting a warning look at Brian across the room.

"You okay?" He asked immediately as the door closed behind him.

"He's just being –" Mac sighed and plonked herself down angrily on the edge of his desk as she tried to rub the frustration out of her eyes. "He's just trying to wind me up and I'm getting tired of having to fight him off."

Will's eyes softened as she looked up at him, stressed, and far less like the laidback, happy Mackenzie he had woken up with that morning. He ditched his papers on his table and walked over to her, holding her upper arms and gently rubbing circles into them with his thumbs, trying to sooth her.

"He's a pain in the ass, and you know I'm unspeakably sorry that I brought him here?" She looked up into his eyes, an amused smile suddenly pulling at her face. She bit her bottom lip in one of her trademark smiles and pulled one of her hands which had holding the edge of the desk, up to fiddle with the bottom of his tie.

"Charlie says he thinks you're an asshole for bringing him here." Will laughed and pulled her to him, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She snuggled into him, thinking that this feeling would never get old – that she would never get used to being with him like this again.

"At least tomorrow is his last day." His spoke softly into her hair. "We won't really have to see him again after that."

Mac made a relieved sound into his collarbone as he said this, tightening her arms around his waist and leaning up on her toes slightly. Holding her now, he could feel how tense she had become even in these few short hours, and felt a renewed hatred for Brian along with another pang of guilt as he pulled back so he could see her face.

Cupping her cheek in his hand, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back immediately and he felt her relax and melt into him within seconds, making sure that he affirmed his arm around her waist so that she could fall forwards slightly. It was very lazy and slow as she allowed herself to get lost in Will for a few moments before she had to go back and face Brian; though she could happily have stayed there for a lot longer and just let Brian wait until she felt good and ready to go and bring him down a few pegs.

To her dismay, however, Will slowly pulled back from her a couple of minutes later, and rested his forehead on hers, still holding her close. He ran his thumb along her nose making her giggle, and then kissed the tip of it, smiling.

"Tell you what, you go back out there and deal with Brian, and tonight we'll grab a Chinese and some wine, go back to yours or mine and have a good long bitching session about self-interested assholes." Mackenzie laughed, and smiled up at him.

"Okay. Sounds like a plan."

"Good." He kissed her once more before leaning across her and grabbing her notepad from the desk behind her. He handed it to her like a knight would receive a sword before going off to fight to the death.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it…" Mac grinned, taking the pad. "Go show him who's boss, Boss." He winked at her, and she walked back out into the bullpen with a lot more confidence that she had when she had gone in. She even had a smile on her face.

"You guys need anything?" She asked Jim and Neal, who were starting to work on a small story. The both shook their heads and turned back to their work, although a few curious looks were thrown her way by people who clearly thought she looked far too happy for someone who was about to have it out with Brian.

She strode into her office, dumping her notes on her desk, and sat down shooting a quick glance over her emails before turning back to Brian, who was seated opposite her.

"So," Resting her elbows on her desk she scrutinised him, hoping to make him feel a little bit uncomfortable. "What do you want to ask?"

Brian was clearly confused, obviously having noticed the change in her demeanour and being able to sense that she was less pliable for him than before; but he soon managed to get his arrogance back.

"Well I wanted to start off by asking about yesterday." He told her, making her freeze for a moment as she thought for one terrified second that he was actually talking about her and Will, before she realised that actually quite a lot had happened yesterday.

"You mean the debate?"

"Well, rather the lack thereof." Oh how she wanted to get a mop and wipe that smug, arrogant smirk off his face. She tried not to let him play on her vulnerabilities.

"Obviously it's a bit of a knock, but I think after last night we got a lot of our spirit back. So we pulled ourselves back up again, I think we can be proud of that."

"So if anyone asks, how would you explain your little diversion from being the 'media elite' to being the usual scummy, ratings-chasing cable networks that the majority of the population are more than happy to watch?" Mac narrowed her eyes, fighting the urge to kick him and crossed her arms defensively.

"Why don't you just remember the reason the RNC came to us? Because we are considered a strong, impartial news outlet. They chose to see us, not the other way around, Brian. And my reply to whichever clueless, dim-witted fool asked me that question would be that we diverted from our usual methodology because we hoped that by doing so we would actually manage to make a greater good come out of it by changing the debates."

Brian laughed mirthlessly, "Mac, Seriously – if you honestly thought for one second that you were ever going to win over those guys by demonstrating that debate format, then you're crazier than I thought!"

"I think if other people had seen what we were trying to do, and how quickly the RNC turned it down – and why! – then the RNC would get a lot of stick for being cowards and not allowing the people a proper, decent chance to vet a possible president. Don't give me that bullshit you said yesterday about Will being the star – you're many things Brian, but you're not an idiot, so don't act like one!

"You know as well as I do that debates are so biased towards fairness and avoiding hot potatoes that we_ never_ properly vet candidates. If we did, we would probably never have ended up with an imbecile like Bush in the highest office in the land. Seriously – if people had seen his last press conference before they had voted for him, the democrats would have won with a landslide."

She had started off talking in a very quiet voice, but by the end she was doing nothing of the sort; Brian actually looked quite taken aback by her outburst. She looked her over, appraisingly,

"You really believe in all this shit, huh?"

She snapped up to look at him. "Why should call something a lie if we know it's a lie. If you don't it just makes you look like an idiot, and a coward; and no one should be scared of speaking the truth."

"The truth can be a terrible thing, Mac."

"People have the right to know the facts, Brian. We work for them, not for the government."

"I work for _me_!" He said exasperatedly.

"Well I don't." She said simply, leaning back in her chair and looking stubbornly back at him. Something he had said yesterday sparked in her mind, and she smirked suddenly. "So – all that stuff you were saying yesterday about how you would never have abandoned your ratings for Casey Anthony and blah, blah, blah – were you just lying then to piss me off, or what? Impress me?"

Brian clearly hadn't been expecting that; in fact she'd be willing to bet that he had forgotten that he had said it. Her smirk widened as he clearly tried to come up with an excuse, but realising he was caught, he leaned forward, invading her personal space.

"Frankly Mac, after the complete debacle of a newsroom that I've seen here this week, I feel absolutely no need to try and impress you. You are clearly unhappy and over-worked, so when you said I was 'jealous' yesterday, I actually have no idea what you were talking about."

Mac stared at him. "Well, if that's the impression you've got of me then I can't wait to read the fantasy you're going to write for New York magazine." It was like a tennis match with the two of them going back and forward, trying to get one up on each other. "This is the job I've always dreamed of doing, and I'm getting to do it with the only anchor I would want to do it with. I have a team who is as dedicated to the show as Charlie, Will and I are, and yes we lost a battle this week, but it doesn't mean we're going to stop –"

"Do you know how _pathetic_ you are, hanging around here with a guy you're clearly still pining after and who clearly hates your guts?" Brian cut in swiftly.

"For the last time, you know absolutely nothing about my personal life and you know nothing about Will and I, so you should really stop talking about things you don't understand." There was a quiet fury about her now, and she actually just wanted to run screaming from the room and get back to Will and the others, away from this bastard who, despite whatever his original intentions were, was now clearly on a mission to torment her as much as possible.

"Mac according to you, I am a fairly big part of the whole you-and-Will saga, so –"

"You _were_, Brian. You _were_ a part of my life – please get that into your head, because frankly I'm sick of telling you! Will and I have both made mistakes where you're concerned but please don't think that you can screw us over by writing a take-down piece because I can assure you it won't work."

She was standing up now, one fist clenched at her side, the other pointing at Brian warningly. Brian also stood up, picking up his things, the smug smile back on his face.

"Whatever, Mac. We both know – scratch that, _everyone_ knows why Will brought me here. He could have had anyone, but he chose me. Does that really spell out 'Happily Ever After' to you?"

Leaving her fuming behind her desk, he smirked at her shaking his head, and exited the room.

* * *

_**Okay, I appreciate how long it has been since I last updated this piece! But my life has been insane this last month. I'm typing this from a whole new country which is now my home for the year, which is all very scary, and I'm not even actually posting it from my new "home" because it has no internet as of yet. Anyways, I think I mentioned this in my other update, so I'll shut up and let you get on reading the story.**_

_**Update for In the Bleak Midwinter up tomorrow/Monday probably.**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**This is just a small bridge – a teaser of sorts – because the next chapter is probably also going to be on the small side – but for a good reason! Because…we are going behind enemy lines! YES! Next chapter is Brian's POV. BOOM! (I'm sligtly scared about your reaction to this invasion...)**_

* * *

Will saw Brian exit Mac's office with a horrible self-satisfied smirk plastered on his face, and his heart sank a little as he realised who the victor of the meeting must have been.

He watched him walk back over to the work station he had been using for the last week or so; they made eye contact briefly, and Brian gave him a slight nod as if he thought they were in on the same joke. It made him feel slightly sick.

A few moments later, Mackenzie exited her office. To anyone else she would appear to be her usual self, but Will knew the weary look behind her eyes. He was used to seeing it a lot after shows and during their late night meetings and early morning sessions when they would come in and try and get the ball rolling on the newscast before the rest of the team came in.

She looked around for him and he caught her eye, giving her a sympathetic nod. She smiled weakly back at him before going to off to talk to Jim. As Will looked around for Charlie, he caught Brian frowning at him. He got the sudden feeling that today was going to be a very important day.

* * *

_**And now the end is near…**_

_**Yes, you lovely bunch, this fic is nearly over. Not that there will be any shortage of ficage from me in the future given that even I've lost track of how many I've got going at the moment :p Can't believe we're on chapter nine and the timeline of this story isn't even a day yet. I may actually be impressed with myself! Which I know isn't cool, but I can only apologise hehe!**_


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